DOGS TO TAKE SKELETON SQUAD WEST

THE Western Bulldogs will fly a skeleton squad of players and staff to Perth and spend a week quarantining at a golf resort ahead of next Sunday’s bumper clash with West Coast.

The AFL has gained approval for the Bulldogs to board a flight out of Melbourne on Sunday afternoon and stay at Joondalup Resort on the outskirts of Perth.

The Bulldogs will be permitted to leave the resort only to travel to and from training and will otherwise be forced to follow strict protocols set out by the Western Australia government.

The Bulldogs had been hoping to spend the coming week with relative freedom in Sydney before flying onwards to Perth for the match. There had been plans for partners and families to also make the trip to the Harbour City for the week, before Sydney’s minor Covid-19 outbreak quashed any hope of such an arrangement.

A squad of about 26 players and a minimum number of staff will make the trip to Perth. The rest of the Dogs’ list will stay in Melbourne.